New energy director set to accelerate growth for Elevator

Elevator has appointed John Harris as its new energy director in a move to support upcoming pioneers in the energy sector.

Mr Harris brings over 38 years of valuable industry experience to this newly created role, previously holding the title President at global oil and gas consultancy Gaffney, Cline & Associates.

In addition, he has held management roles at Baker Hughes and HelixRDS, where he established business across South East Asia. In the early 1990s, he formed Read Well Services to develop new seismic and cased hole technology, and successfully built the company’s international presence.

This experience will significantly bolster Elevator as the team looks to develop its latest entrepreneurial programmes, TechX Plus and Grey Matters, geared at driving the future of Scotland’s energy sector.

Of his appointment, Mr Harris said: “I’m exceptionally pleased to join Elevator and become part of a team that is generating world-class entrepreneurial talent.

“Innovation is crucial for the energy sector’s future; the environment currently provides an opportunity to create state-of-the-art technologies and business models to change the face of the industry. We’re tapping into a pool of experienced individuals who are focused on creating new, exciting and niche businesses that will be rooted in the north east, ultimately, supporting its long-term sustainability.”

Two programmes driving this include TechX Plus and Grey Matters. TechX Plus is a collaboration with the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) and follows on from the OGTC’s successful pioneer programme TechX, a technology accelerator which provides expertise and support for start-ups and SMEs looking to break into the oil and gas industry. Upon successful completion of the 16-week programme, pioneers have access to TechX Plus, which offers a further 12 months’ incubator space and tailored business support at Elevator.

Grey Matters, an initiative in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, aims to support senior oil and gas professionals who have spent 20-plus years in the industry and are ready to create scalable businesses which will have a positive impact on the global energy sector.

Under Mr Harris’ leadership, both initiatives are set to generate a high level of innovative technologies and ways of working, benefitting the wider industry on a whole.

Mr Harris continued: “Attracting high calibre individuals through both programmes has been highly encouraging for us, as it demonstrates the strong reputation Elevator has already built. We have taken the time to ensure we have recruited the very best talent to project our industry, and I’m looking forward to helping unlock potential future growth.”

David Millar, Technology Accelerator Director at the Oil & Gas Technology Centre, said: “We’re very pleased to have completed our first TechX Pioneers Programme, with 10 exciting young companies graduating from the intense 16-week programme.

“This is just the beginning of the journey for our Pioneers, as they aspire to shape a new future for the oil and gas industry. Their next stop is TechX Plus, and we’re delighted to be working in partnership with the excellent team at Elevator to deliver this follow on incubator programme providing dedicated facilities and tailored business support for our Pioneers.”

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